Camp Story
by Shamelsshussy
Summary: Bette and Tina and Alice and Dana and Helena go to camp.
1. Chapter 1

Camp Story

Copyright: 2009

Feedback: please do!

Disclaimer: I don't own Tina, Bette, Dana, Alice, Helena, Melvin or Peggy.

Distribution: this is already x posed on lword fic sites under my other id – rey201. If you think there are other places it might fit in, let me know.

Summary: Teenage Bette, Tina, Alice, Dana and Helena go to summer camp. Lighthearted, teenagery Tibette romance mainly, with some Danish undertones and some trouble from Helena.

--

Late June, early morning.

The forecast called for hot sun and building humidity, but at 6:30 in the morning it was still cool and dim and Bette and her hangover were grateful for that fact. She rolled down the passenger side window and let the chilly air bathe her cheeks.

"Bette, please don't open the window that wide. Its very cool out this morning."

"Sorry, Daddy." Bette sat up straighter and rolled the window up most of the way. She tried to ignore her pounding headache, and gave her dad a smile that was more like a grimace.

Melvin kept his eyes on the empty road ahead. "You were out very late last night."

Bette mounted a cautious defense. "Well, I won't be home until August. And then I'll be leaving for Yale the week after I get back, so I wanted to say goodbye…"

"I didn't mean to imply you had done anything wrong. I was merely making an observation."

Bette stayed silent.

Melvin pulled the sedan into the empty school parking lot, and put the car in park. Finally, he turned to look at his daughter.

"I trust you Bette. You're a highly intelligent young woman. I'm very proud to have a daughter like you."

Bette's mouth felt dusty. She licked her lips. "You know Daddy, Kit's doing really well with her band lately."

Melvin gave a noncommittal nod.

"They're going to be playing some dates here this summer. Maybe you two could have dinner. While I'm away. It might be nice, for you and Kit to have a chance to talk."

"If your sister wishes to call and extend an invitation, she is entitled to do so. But of course, I can't say whether I'll be available when she does decide to contact me."

Bette exhaled through her nostrils and pursed her lips together.

"You remind me so much of your mother sometimes." Melvin said, gazing down at his daughter. "Especially when you're frustrated with me."

Bette gave her father a small, grudging grin.

"I'm sure you'll do an excellent job with your responsibilities this summer. I…" he hesitated. "…I'll miss you."

Bette smiled, a genuine smile this time. "I'll miss you too Daddy."

-

Bette stood watching until the headlines of her father's car disappeared into the fog. As soon as he was out of sight, Bette sank to the ground amid her duffel bags, and buried her aching head in her hands.

"Ow. Ow. Ow."

She hadn't meant to get quite so wasted last night. But Shane had insisted on starting the night with party brownies washed down with vodka spiked slurpees and things just sped along in a blur after that.

Bette vaguely remembered ending up at the middle school, sometime after midnight, and everyone running giggling, drunken relays on the track. A little later, she had found herself stumbling off to the tennis courts, a cute junior named Jilly pulling her along by the hand. Bette recalled only snatches of their makeout session - slurpee flavored kisses, the silky feeling of Jilly's taut, tan thigh under her fingertips.

Bette was trying to remember exactly how far things had gone when a car turned into the parking lot. Bette groaned and cursed to herself, "Shit. Already?" The campers weren't due to arrive for another half hour. She struggled to her feet and tried to look presentable.

But when she car pulled closer, she smiled. That Camaro was unmistakable.

"Mornin' Sunshine," Shane waved from the driver's seat.

"What the hell are you doing out so early?" Bette asked.

"Shane smirked. "Goin' home."

Bette raised an eyebrow. "From?"

Shane shrugged, grinned, and leaned over to open the passenger door. "Get in. I brought you stuff."

Bette sank gratefully into the bucket seat and closed the door behind her. The interior of the car was blessedly dim, thanks to the tinted windows.

Shane handed Bette a slurpee and a paper bag.

Bette took them, eying the slurpee suscipciously

"Chill out" Shane said, "it's a virgin slurpee."

Reassured, Bette took a long, grateful pull on the straw. "Cherry!" She leaned happily back in her seat, pulled a bottle of aspirin and a bagel out of the paper bag. "Shane, you're a fucking god."

"Aww, that's what all the girls say."

Bette crumpled up the empty paper bag and threw it at her friend.

Shane batted it away, laughing. "Can I help if it I'm irresistible?" She reached for her cigarettes. She shook the packet at Bette, offering.

Bette shook her head, no. "Am I going to come back and find you've broken the heart of every girl at Eastwood High?"

"You just leave the high school girls to me, Porter." Shane flicked her lighter twice before a flame caught. "You're on to bigger and better things. College women…dorm rooms... Sorority houses…" Shane sat bolt upright. "You're gonna let me visit you at college right?"

Bette laughed. "Yeah, yeah. You can come."

Out the window, Bette caught sight of two yellow school buses pulling into the parking lot, reminding her of her more immediate plans. It was enough to make her want a cigarette, and she put down her half eaten bagel and slid a cigarette out of Shane's pack. Shane leaned in and lit it for her.

"Ugh. Before I start the glamorous life of an undergrad, I've got a summer of wrangling brats to deal with."

Shane rolled her window down and flicked her cigarette ash out onto the pavement. "Oh please, you love being a camp counselor, don't even lie."

"Head counselor." Bette corrected automatically.

"Ooooooh. **Head** counselor." Shane teased in a singsong voice. "Even more fun for you. Bossing a whole camp of girls around for two months…It's Bette Porter's dream come true."

Bette rolled her eyes, and opened her window, intending to ash her cigarette. But a perky 15 year old with dirty blonde hair in two low pigtails was suddenly leaning into the window.

"Tsk, tsk, Bette. Smoking! Sets a terrible example for us younger girls…"

Bette forced a smile. "Hi Alice."

Alice broke into a huge grin, clearly thrilled to see Bette, and Bette couldn't help catching a little of her enthusiasm.

"Shane, this is Alice. She's a camper…"

"Nuh uh, Porter. This year I'm a junior counslor. I'm **your** junior counselor." Without being invited, Alice yanked open the door and squeezed into the back seat.

"Of course. My junior counselor. How could I have forgotten?" Bette shook three aspirin out of the bottle Shane had given her and washed them down with a mouthful of slurpee.

"It's gonna be great!" Alice trilled, bouncing on the back seat.

Shane chuckled and lit another cigarette. She leaned back and craned her neck to look at Alice.

"Hey Alice." Shane shot her a lazy, sexy grin. "You smoke?"

Alice squirmed, and started taking out her pigtails. "No. I mean, not really. I just..uh…"

"It's cool." Shane reached down and picked up her own slurpee, took a sip. "You can have some of this though, right?" She handed what was left of her drink to Alice, and Alice took the cup reverently and placed her lips carefully just where Shane's had been.

Shane glanced at Bette, who was silent, incredulous.

Shane shrugged. "She's cute." She mouthed to Bette, so Alice couldn't see."

"She's a **pest.**" Bette mouthed back.

Bette saw a few more cars pull into the lot, and checked her watch. It was after 7. She slurped the last of her drink and stubbed out her cigarette in the car's ashtray.

"C'mon Alice. Time for us to get to work."

Alice slid toward the door. "Bye Shane. Thanks. It was really nice meeting you."

Shane winked at the younger girl. "Make sure Porter has some fun this summer, kay?"

Bette leaned over and hugged her friend goodbye. She climbed out of the car. "Be good!" she called through the car window.

"I'm gonna try…" Shane shot her a wicked grin and gunned the engine, and then, was gone.

Bette picked up her duffel bags and walked toward the bus, the growing crowd of campers, and parents.

Curious and energetic as a puppy, Alice was right on Bette's heels.

"Is she your girlfriend?"

Bette hoisted a bag higher on her shoulder. "No. She's just a friend."

"Oh." Alice was silent for a very quick second. "But she's hot! You guys have at least hooked up right?"

Bette stopped and faced Alice. Sighed. "No, Alice. Shane is just my friend."

Alice frowned. "But you have a girlfriend right? I remember last summer you said you really liked..."

Before Alice could bring up the subject of Candace, Bette cut her off. "No! No, Alice, no girlfriend. Can we continue the inquisition later?" A twenty something camp administrator had caught sight of them and was waving them over. "Right now we've got to help Andrea sort luggage and count heads."

Bette strode off to be useful, but Alice lagged behind, a slow grin spreading across her face.

"No girlfriend. Cool!"

--

In another school parking lot, a few hundred miles away…

"C'mon Henry…There's **kids** here!" Tina smiled, but squirmed away from her boyfriend, moving so his roaming hands couldn't reach her breasts.

"But Tina…" Henry whined. "I'm not gonna see you for a whole 2 months."

Tina swatted his hand off her butt and giggled. "You'll be right across the lake."

"I can't do this from across a lake!"

Henry grazed his teeth over Tina's neck, stopping every few millimeters to pepper her pale skin with little sucking bites. In spite of herself, Tina let his hand creep under the hem of her t-shirt. It felt good, and Tina had recently realized that her mind had a hard time resisting when her body was enjoying itself this much.

Henry took her hand and led them farther away from the knot of parents and campers, to a corner of the parking lot that was shadowed by overgrown trees. He pressed Tina against the chain link fence, pressed himself against Tina. As Tina's fingers toyed with the buttons of Henry's jeans, she marveled at the fact that she could have so much fun with someone she didn't like very much at all.

--

Standing alone, Dana Fairbanks squinted at the middle distance and tried to look nonchalant. All around her, kids were darting about, hugging their parents goodbye, greeting old friends with happy shouts, and generally making a ton of noise.

Dana was quiet.

She checked the buckles on her suitcase for the 40th time and made sure her racquet was securely zipped into its case. Done with everything she could think of to do to look busy, Dana sighed, thinking of how she should have been heading to tennis camp again this summer. But after last summer, after everyone found out about her and…Well, she wasn't even sure if she had any friends left there anyway. And her parents had decided she needed to be kept busier, to have more responsibility this summer. And most decidedly, they felt she needed some new friends. So here she was, signed up to be the new tennis counselor at some camp she had never heard of, spending all summer with a bunch of people she had never met. Great.

She shifted her gaze, and caught sight of a couple engaged in an intense make out session in a dim corner of the parking lot.

"BOYS BUS! EVERYONE ON THE BOYS BUS, LET'S GO!" A camp administrator bellowed from behind Dana.

Dana watched the couple hastily break apart with a few sloppy goodbye kisses. The boy came trotting toward the buses, a cocky grin across his face, his fingers checking that his fly was buttoned. He hopped on the bus to a round of cheers from the older guys.

The girl followed more slowly. Dana could see now that she was blonde, really pretty. As she came closer, Dana couldn't help staring at the hickeys blooming on the girl's neck, stark against her fair skin.

"Hey" the girl smiled brightly at Dana.

"Um…hi." Dana mumbled, scratching her elbow. Embarassed, she tried to look somewhere else.

The girl looked at Dana, puzzled for a second, and then her eyes went wide. "Oh god! Do I have huge hickeys?!" Her hands flew to her neck.

Dana couldn't help smiling. "Yeah, you kinda do…"

"How bad is it?" The girl uncovered her neck and stepped closer to Dana, tilting her head to offer a better view.

Dana smelled the soft, slightly sweaty smell of the blonde and blushed. She stepped back. She wanted very badly to make this girl feel better.

"It's not so bad. Really. Just take your ponytail down. No one will even notice."

The girl laughed as she let her hair down. "Yeah right. But thanks. My name's Tina, by the way."

"Dana." Dana stuck her hand out for a handshake.

Tina held back. "Um. Maybe you don't wanna shake my hand right now…" She tossed a glance at the boys bus rumbling out of the parking lot.

Dana blushed furiously and couldn't think of anything to say.

Tina's cheeks reddened too. "Wow. I must seem like such a slut."

Dana mumbled something non-committal.

Tina leaned in and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Could you like, not mention this? This is my first summer here, and I don't want everyone thinking…"

"I'm new too!" Dana was so delighted, the words came out in a happy shout.

Tina smiled at her new friend. "Cool. We'll be new together."

"GIRL'S BUS. GIRLS BUS BOARDING NOW"

Dana grabbed her racquet and suitcase and they headed to the bus together.

"So uh, that's your boyfriend? He's cute." Dana knew you were supposed to say these things.

Tina shrugged and wrinkled her nose. "Yeah. I'm kinda looking forward to a summer without guys though."

"Oh. It seemed like you were uh…gonna miss him."

Tina laughed. "Hooking up is fun, but I don't think I'll actually miss **him,** you know? Guys can be kind of a pain."

Dana nodded in what she hoped was a knowing manner.

"What about you? Anybody you'll miss this summer?"

Dana thought longingly of last summer, of watching a beautiful redhead play tennis in the hot sun until sweat ran in thrilling paths over her body. Of trading tentative kisses in dim corner of the court, giving way to soft sighing strokes in the counselor's dorm room.

Dana forced herself to stop remembering before she got to the part that involved parents storming in.

Dana looked back at Tina and forced a smile. "Nope. Nobody."

--

A few hours later, in the back of a towncar speeding northward, Helena Peabody was sulking and aggressively ignoring her mother.

"Oh come on Helena." her mother cajoled. "Its really lovely up here."

Through the tinted windows, Helena could see a series of small lakes whizzing by, surrounded by a pine forest that rose up the sides of a not inconsiderable mountain in the distance.

Helena sniffed. "Its not the Alps, Mummy. I don't see why I have to come to this backwards American camp." Helena spat the words like they tasted bad. "I should be in Switzerland with all my friends."

"That is exactly my point young lady. You have spent far too little time in the States. This is part of who you are too Helena. I think there's something to be said for getting you out of those rarefied European circles you've been running in and giving you a taste of the healthy American outdoor experience."

They both fell quiet for a few minutes.

"And its' not to early for you to learn to do a little something for the family Helena," "The Peabody Foundation funds the camp's new arts and athletics initiative, as well as the lake's conservation efforts. Its all with an eye toward buying the land in a few years time, when Anita is ready to retire. I'd like to turn this into an artist's retreat." Peggy sighed and closed her eyes, getting lost in her dream. "My own little Yaddo…"

Helena snorted with derision.

"Enough. Just behave yourself, smile, and be sure Anita Montrose is happy to sell to us at a big discount when the time comes."

The towncar pulled off the main road onto a smaller dirt road. An unpaved parking lot lay ahead, and Helena could see campers and counselors getting off of school buses. They looked grimy already and the summer hadn't even started.

The towncar parked and several people turned around, surprised at the elegance in their midst as Peggy and then Helena emerged blinking into the bright sunlight. Peggy was immune to the attention, and strode forward to confer with the driver about arrangements for the afternoon. Helena noticed but ignored the stares and walked forward a few steps to cast her imperious gaze over the crowd. No one special.

Another bus pulled in and opened its doors, spewing forth more kids. A girl with mousy brown hair got off, a big tennis bag slung over her shoulder. As she walked past Helena. she hoisted the bag higher and the awkward motion caused the racquet handle to nudge Helena's ribs.

"Watch where you're going." Helena's voice was calm, but cold.

"I'm…I'm…uh…" The tennis player stammered, unable to get out an apology.

A blonde girl who had been collecting her bags from the bus bounced over to them, catching up to the tennis player.

"Hey, Dana. I asked Andy, we're in the same bunk!" The blonde called out happily.

Helena broke her stare to look at the newcomer. Suddenly, she was all smiles.

"Hello. I'm Helena Peabody…"

"Sorry! It was an accident!" With Helena's ice blue eyes off of her, Dana finally got out what she had been trying to say.

"Of course it was" Helena responded sweetly. "No harm done!"

"Hi. I'm Tina."

"Tina…" Helena rolled the name on her tongue and liked how it felt.

"…and Dana." Tina gestured toward the brunette.

"Hello Dana…" but Helena's eyes didn't leave Tina's face. She realized that the blonde girl's eyes weren't brown, as she had first thought, but hazel, picking up the deep greens of the evergreens that towered over them, and the less poetic, lighter green of Tina's camp tee-shirt.

Tina met Helena's gaze frankly, interested by the brunette. "I love British accents."

Helena tilted her head and studied Tina from a new angle. "You've got a lovely lilt to your speech. So much…softer…prettier than most Americans."

Helena enjoyed watching a pleased flush creep into Tina's cheeks in response to the compliment.

"Well, I'm from North Carolina. I mean, we moved this year. But I still sound like a southern girl."

"I don't know that much about the States." Helena admitted. "You'll have to show me what southern girls are like."

Dana gaped at the exchange, not sure whether to be more shocked at Helena's blatant flirting, or Tina's game acceptance of it.

An announcement came crackling over the camp PA system, "New arts and athletics counselors, please report to the cafeteria for orientation at 1:00!"

Tina looked at her watch. "We'd better go put our stuff down…" She turned to head off toward the bunks, but glanced back over her shoulder. "We'll see you soon, Helena," she said with a smile.

"Definitely." Helena nodded. "Very nice meeting you Tina…and Dana." Helena called after them, including the brunette as a grudging afterthought.

Peggy Peabody gestured for Helena's attention. "Come along, Helena, We're due for tea in Anita's office. Please wipe that scowl off your face before…"

Peggy trailed off mid-sentence, surprised to find her daughter smiling brightly.

"Why ever would I be scowling Mummy? I'm going to have a wonderful summer here."

Helena headed up the path to the camp offices with a spring in her long, graceful stride.

Her mother followed, shaking her head. "Such a strange child…"

--

In the camp office, Bette made one last, desperate plea for a change of assignment.

Anita, the camp director shook her head, sympathetic, but emphatic. "I know you were looking forward to work with the older girls this summer, but circumstances have changed."

Bette struggled to retain her composure, and but for a brief second, a dejected pout curled her pretty lips downward, her eyebrows knitted in consternation.

Anita gave the girl a minute to collect her thoughts. She had seen Bette grow from a gangly, quiet child into a tall, confident young woman over years she had been coming to camp, but she knew there was still a lot of insecurity behind the bravado.

"Look, Bette, this is not a punishment. It's a vote of confidence. You know we would normally have one of the college girls as the Chipmunk counselor. But Jamie broke her leg and won't be able to be here this summer. You're mature, you're responsible…"

"But Anita… they're six years old! What if they cry? What if they…" Bette fell silent as thoughts of bed-wetting and visions of broken, tiny limbs crashed through her mind.

Bette raised her gaze to meet Anita's, her eyes overbright, as if with tears. "What if I can't take care of them?'

"Aw, sweetie, you'll be fine. I know you don't have much experience around young children, but you'll be great. You're a natural authority figure; they'll listen to you and know they can depend on you. Since this is their first time away from home, they need that, someone they can look up to, someone they can trust."

Anita slung an arm around Bette's shoulders and walked her toward the door.

"Plus, don't forget you've got Alice to help you. I'm sure she'll be very…entertaining for the girls."

Bette sighed and Anita felt the girl's tense shoulders sag. "I'm sorry Anita, I didn't mean to whine, I just…I just want to do my best, you know?"

"I'm sure you will sweetie, I'm 100% sure you will. Now, I don't mean to kick you out, but you've got some little girls to tend to. And I've got a meeting in a few minutes."

Bette nodded, and managed a small wave as she let herself out into the hallway.

Once the door had closed behind her, Bette dropped onto the hard bench that stood in the hallway outside Anita's office. Her hangover headache was back with a vengeance, and her stomach was churning at the thought of having to face a bunk full of 6 year olds with only Alice for backup. Last night's carefree, drunken antics seemed to belong to a former lifetime. A lifetime in which she had been cool. In control.

Bette slumped further down on the bench, allowing herself a few final minutes of self-indulgent sulking before facing up to Chipmunk Bunk. She closed her eyes tight and massaged the bridge of her nose, willing her headache away.

"Uh, uh, uh, mustn't slouch young lady."

Bette opened her eyes to a wagging finger, attached to a well dressed middle aged woman. The woman had a half smile on her face, but behind her a tall girl with long dark hair and frosty green eyes stood in real judgement of Bette's slouching figure.

"Is this Anita's office?" the woman was asking.

Bette stood up to answer, ignoring the girl's cool gaze.

"Yes, it is. I'm Bette Porter, one of the counselors here." The woman nodded pleasantly, and the Bette turned to the girl, extending her hand to shake. "Are you going to be working here this summer?"

The girl didn't uncross her arms. She let out a short, wry chuckle. "Working?"

"Helena!" The woman reprimanded sharply. "Bette, is it? You'll have to excuse my daughter's horrible behavior. She's been surrounded by her high class, low mannered boarding school chums for much too long."

Bette straightened her shoulders. "Well. I do have to get to work."

Peggy paused with her hand on the doorknob. "Have a lovely summer Bette. Perhaps you'll be a good influence on Helena..."

Behind her mother, Helena didn't look warm to that idea. In fact, she looked positively icy.

Bette walked quickly out of the building, suddenly craving the hot sun on her neck and arms. But when she stepped outside, clouds had crowded the sky and the bright day had turned unexpectedly gloomy.

"Perfect. Fucking perfect." Bette grumbled to herself as she set off toward her bunk.

Campers and counselors were happily and busily criss-crossing the field, and almost all of the returning campers knew Bette and waved or called out to her. She managed a few half-hearted greetings, but she mainly kept her eyes straight ahead and didn't stop to talk, instead focusing on steeling herself for the shrieks and shouts and homesick wails of a group of six year olds, underlaid with Alice's nonstop chatter. She'd have to find that bottle of aspirin Shane had given her. Right away.

Suddenly, a sneakered foot entered Bette's view, way too close to her own feet, moving way to quickly to stop or change path. She braced herself for the inevitable fall, resigning herself to scraped palms. But the owner of the foot was clumsier than Bette had imagined possible, and before the tumble was over, Bette had also gotten an elbow to the lip and somehow torn a jagged rent in her tshirt.

Bette swore under her breath and disentangled herself from the clumsy culprit. Once Bette was standing again, she saw that the girl who had tripped her was about 15 or 16 years old, pretty and gawky, her brown hair up in a tight pony tail, her gray eyes going wide with horror as she took in the sight of Bette rising to her full height.

The girl looked so astounded and overwhelmed, Bette couldn't even get mad. She started to smile, but winced at the pain in her swelling lip.

"Oh jeez" the girl said, staying on the ground, clapping her right hand to a bump rising on her forehead "I am so, so..."

A voice behind them called out "Dana? Are you...?"

"I'm fine," Dana shouted to her friend. "I'm just an complete loser," she continued under her breath.

Bette put out a hand to help her up. "Hey Dana. I'm Bette. It's not all your fault, really, I wasn't looking."

A girl caught up to them, breathless from running, explanations pouring out of her. "It's my fault really, I bet Dana she couldn't beat me over to the..."

Bette turned from Dana to face the newcomer, and felt like she had been knocked to the ground all over again. She knew she had never seen this girl before; she would have remembered those perfect soft sunny curls tumbling down to shoulders burnished with a golden tan. She would have remembered those lips, that very particular shade of delicate pink.

Bette mouth filled with a taste like cherries. She stood staring as the most gorgeous girl she had ever laid eyes on noticed her for the first time while she was grass stained, torn, dirty. She wanted to fix everything immediately, to say something amazing and witty, but found she couldn't move, not even to smooth her hair.

The girl gazed back, her light brown eyes steady and calm. As soon as she saw the swollen lip and torn shirt, she stepped closer, concerned.

"Are you hurt?"

And then her hand was on Bette's ribs, at the rip in her shirt. The touch was gentle, caring, but the light stroke of the girl's fingers was more then enough to set Bette's skin on fire.

Bette managed to stammer out a response. "I'm…I'm fine." Her voice was low, almost a whisper,

The girl tilted her face up to Bette's. "Your lip…"

She almost brought her hand up to touch Bette's face, but caught herself, made herself step back.

"Um. Maybe we should get you some ice or something…" she mumbled.

Bette immediately missed the girl's warmth, but at least found she could speak coherently again.

"Thank you. But really, I'm OK."

Bette ran a hand through her hair, and rubbed a smudge of dirt off her forearm, never taking her eyes off the blonde.

Dana stood by, her eyes darting between Tina and Bette. She wasn't sure whether to jump for joy at the fact that her parents had apparently accidentally sent her to a camp crawling with gorgeous teenage lesbians, or weep at the fact that apparently Tina was going to get all the girls.

Dana shrugged to herself. At least this one was nice to her. And since the two girls before her seemed to be at a complete loss for words at the moment, she figured she'd help them out.

"Bette, this is my friend Tina."

Tina blushed. "Hi…Bette."

Bette broke into a beaming smile, heedless of the pain in her lip, heedless of anything beyond her new favorite sound in the world - Tina saying her name.


	2. Chapter 2

Camp Story

Copyright: 2009

Feedback: please do!

Disclaimer: I don't own Tina, Bette, Dana, Alice, Helena, Melvin or Peggy.

Distribution: If you think there are other places it might fit in, let me know.

Summary: Teenage Bette, Tina, Alice, Dana and Helena go to summer camp. Lighthearted, teenagery Tibette romance mainly, with some Dana/Alice undertones and some trouble from Helena.

* * *

A smile, not quite shy, but not yet completely bold, crept to Bette's lips, lighting her face with a graceful beauty. Her torn shirt, her scraped palms, her budding bruises seemed perfectly placed to Tina.

A little bit apart, Dana balanced on her right leg, lifting the other to scratch a mosquito bite on her left ankle. She wondered if they'd get in trouble for being late to the orientation thing. She tried not to stare at Bette and Tina, but it was hard. They were so pretty.

From the far side of the field, a blue, shaped a little like a 12 year old girl, made a bee-line toward them.

"Bette!" the blur called, but she was still to far to break the spell.

She pelted closer, and tried again. "Bette!"

Better turned and recognize Lena, one of her campers from last year.

"Hey!" Bette waved. The smile faded from her face when she saw how fast Lena was coming.

"What's the matter?" Bette asked, as Lena skidded to a stop in front of them.

Lena panted, trying to catch her breath. "Chipmunk…help!"

Her gaze still trained on Bette, Tina saw her eyes go wide, a sharp intake of breath lift her chest.

"Alice sent you?"

Lena gulped air, nodded.

"Shit. Shit." Bette turned back to meet Tina's gaze. "I've gotta go."

Dana waved to catch Tina's attention, gesturing toward the cafeteria building.

"I guess we have to go to…"

But they both lingered.

"What's Chipmunk?"

"Oh. My bunk. I'm counselor for the six year olds."

"Cute."

"Yeah." Bette smiled that smile again, even less shy this time. "Seriously cute."

Tina felt her face grow warm, and knew a deep flush was quickly covering her pale skin.

Lena had plopped down on the grass and now lay sprawled at their feet. Her voice floated up between them.

"Bette. Alice is gonna kill you."

"Yes. True. Thank you Lee." She shot Tina a glowing smile and included Dana too. "It's been a pleasure."

Bette hopped neatly over Lena and set off toward Chipmunk Bunk at a jog, covering an impressive amount of ground with every graceful stride.

Lena raised herself up onto one elbow and gazed after her. "She is SO cool…"

Tina sighed, her words missing.

Dana stifled a giggle, but couldn't conceal the grin that spread across her face as she thought to herself, "Yep. This camp is SO gay."

* * *

Bette regularly ran for miles without tiring, and had the all-state 3200m track medal to prove it. But as she drew closer to the bunk, she slowed to walk, and then to a stop. She stood at the bottom of the short staircase that lead up to the bunk's porch. The screen door was closed, and the wooden door beyond that too. All seemed quiet within. Maybe too quiet?

A distant rumble of thunder echoed through the valley, mocking her dramatic cast of mind. Bette set her jaw, squared her shoulders and vaulted the steps in one stride.

She opened the door into a world of small socks, rapidly descending into chaos.

Alice had gotten as far as helping everyone unzip their bags, and backpacks, but was now tending to a child who had a large splinter embedded in her palm. Apparently this had just happened, because just as Bette opened the door, and just as Alice touched the splinter with a pair of tweezers, the girl went from crying big, wet silent tears, into a full throated bawl.

Two other girls who were uninjured but considering being homesick were thrust over the line by the crying and joined in, working themselves up into a hot faced frenzy pretty quickly. The three dry-eyed girls in the room were having a great time, tossing clothes at each other and climbing the bunks. A girl with blonde pigtails, hanging by her knees from a top bunk, giggled herself into hiccups.

"Sorry Alice."

Alice raised an eyebrow, but didn't look up from the small palm in her lap, concentrated on easing the splinter out as gently as possible.

Bette hastened over to the dangling blonde girl, and carefully unhooked her knees from the bunk rail. The girl turned herself right side up and wrapped her legs around Bette's waist instead.

"What's your name?"

"Bette. What's your name?"

"Darcy."

"No hanging from the bunks Darcy. It's a very important rule."

Darcy nodded seriously. Hiccupped.

Bette set her down on the floor. "Go get a drink of water from the bathroom sink."

Darcy trotted obediently off toward the small bathroom that adjoined the main room of the cabin. Bette watched her go, hoping the rest of them would be as easy as she was.

"Chipmunk Bunk!" Bette's voice was strong, but calm. All the girls looked up. The criers settled into sniffles. Alice took the opportunity to slide the splinter the last of the way out of her camper's hand.

"I'm Bette. I'm your counselor. We're going to have a great summer together. But first everyone has to put their things away. Alice and I will help you and then when we're done, maybe we can go wading in the little lake."

One of the sniffling girls brightened. "We can catch frogs!"

Bette shivered, and struggled to keep a smile on her face. "Maybe we can…do that. But first unpack. Quietly. Alice and I will help you. And no throwing. That's a rule in here."

A girl with long, wavy brown hair and chubby, rosy cheeks raised her hand. "I have a note."

Bette kneeled down to face her. "What's your name?"

"Sofia." She showed Bette the note that had been carefully pinned into the bib pocket of her overalls. Bette unpinned it and stood up.

"Well, thank you Sofia." Bette surveyed the room, now quiet. "Anyone else have a note?"

Five little hands went up, and then six, as Darcy returned from the bathroom. Bette got to work meeting all the girls and taking the notes as they emerged, crumpled, from backpacks or were unpinned from small pockets.

She sorted through them while Alice helped the girls get settled and change into swimsuits. Jennie was allergic to strawberries, Amy was allergic to nuts. Francesca was an occasional bed wetter, especially in times of stress. Samantha's note was wrapped around a tube of hydrocortisone cream and announced that she was prone to eczema behind her ears. Darcy was under strict orders from her orthodonist not to suck her thumb under any circumstances. Sarah, the camper from whom Alice had removed the splinter, had a note that simply said "Sarah is a very delicate child."

Bette sighed.

Alice looked up from the sandal buckle she was working on.

"What's the matter Porter, worried Chipmunk will ruin your image?"

Bette looked down at her torn t-shirt and grass stained elbows. She thought of Tina, smiled, and threw a tiny pair of balled up socks at Alice.

"You said no throwing!" Sofia shrieked, pointed at Bette.

Alice snickered. The little girls giggled.

Bette kept smiling. They might be laughing at her, but at least Chipmunk Bunk was laughing.


	3. Chapter 3

Tina and Dana had reached the cafeteria just as the orientation was starting. There were about six teenaged girls in the room already. Tina assumed they were also new counselors.

She and Dana slid into seats at a table toward the back, just as a short, curvy young woman in her mid-twenties was taking the stage. Her dark brown hair was cut in a bob, which she tucked back behind her ears.

"Hi everyone! Wecome to Camp Arden! I'm Theresa, one of your camp admins. I'll give you a brief rundown of how things work around here, and then later, Anita, the camp director will come over and say hi as well."

A tall, fit girl in her early 20s stood up and started passing out folders with the camp logo on it.

"That's Alex, my…another one of your admins." Theresa continued. Alex waved. "The packets she's giving out have lots of important information in them. You'll find the daily schedules, the camp calendar, and a map, just in case you need some help finding your way around for the first few days."

The girls thumbed through the papers. Tina noticed that every Saturday night on the calendar was marked "Counselor's Campfire." She wondered if it was something fun or something administrative.

There was a pen clipped to her folder. She pulled it loose and uncapped it.

"…two kinds of counselors – bunk counselors and arts and culture counselors, which is you guys. Most of our bunk counselors are girls who have been coming here for years, so they're a great resource for you, to show you around and tell you more about Arden. As A and C counselors, you'll be leading particular activities – tennis, creative writing, painting, drama – you know what your individual assignment is. So you'll get to know all of the bunk counselors and their campers pretty quickly as they come through to your activity cabins during the day."

"If you look in your folders, you'll see a sheet that outlines a typical camp day."

Tina slid the sheet out of the folder and read it.

7:55 Good Morning!

8:15 Breakfast

8:45 Cabin Clean-up

9:30 Flag Raising

9:45 1st Activity

11:05 2nd Activity

12:30 Lunch

1:15 Canteen and Rest

2:00 3rd Activity

3:30 Free Play

5:55 Dinner

7:15 Flag Lowering and Evening Program

9:30 All campers back to bunks.

"…be running your activity cabins during the slotted times for 1st, 2nd and 3rd activity. If you're working on a special project with a group of campers, you can also use free play time for things like rehearsals, sports matches – just work it out with the campers involved and let their counselors know."

A door at the side of the stage opened and a tall, willowy girl entered, followed by two women. All the girls looked up and over.

Helena met their collective gaze with cool indifference. She surveyed the crowd, found what she wanted. When her mother and Anita moved to sit at the front of the room, Helena slipped off to the back and slid in on the last bench next to Tina.

Seated on Tina's other side, Dana looked over, but Helena ignored her. So instead Dana trained her gaze at the front of the room and pretended to pay attention. She swallowed, trying to tamp down the familiar tightness in her throat.

Tina turned to Helena and got a smile. She rippled her fingers in a quick hello.

Helena sat quietly for a few moments, watching as Anita took the stage and said a few words of welcome to the new counselors.

"…introduce Peggy Peabody. She's the generous benefactor who has made this arts and culture program possible. She was a camper here when she was a girl, and she'd like to say a few words to welcome you."

As her mother took the stage, Helena leaned over and slid Tina's folder of papers toward herself. As she moved close, her long hair brushed against Tina's arm.

A subtle, expensive scent came along with Helena's touch. It reminded Tina a little of the Chanel No. 5 her mother kept for special occasions, but this was more spicy, more green. It bore absolutely no resemblance to the scent that sprayed from the bottle of Charlie on Tina's dresser at home.

Helena selected a sheet from the folder and turned it over to its blank side. She reached across for Tina's right hand with her own right hand and gently slid the pen from Tina's grip.

Tina didn't move away. She stayed close and took a careful look at Helena. Her creamy complexion, a smudge of eyeshadow setting off the icy blue of her eyes, light lip gloss accentuating the stubborn pout of her lips. Her eyes traveled down, over Helena's strong shoulders, the smooth skin there slightly blushed with the beginnings of a tan, then down to her forearm, where beneath the pale skin there, Tina could see blue blood tracing the curve of her wrist. And on to her hands, slender, white fingers wrapped around the pilfered pen, and writing a note.

-What bunk are you in?-

Helena held the pen out to Tina and didn't let go when Tina tried to take it from her. Tina giggled, Helena released the pen with a smile.

"…young ladies will bring your knowledge of arts and culture to the younger children…"

Even as she addressed the girls in front of her, Peggy's eyes were on Helena. She saw Helena's game and raised an eyebrow when the blonde girl giggled. Helena met her gaze for a second, then bit the inside of her lower lip and looked away.

Tina had written -Annex B. Counselor's bunk. You?-

Helena picked up the pen.

-Something special. Want to come see?-

Helena held out the pen to Tina but Tina ignored it. Instead, she leaned over and whispered.

"Yes."

20 minutes later, Theresa was finishing up the orientation and girls were shifting in chairs and tidying papers, eager to stand, run, gossip.

"…thanks everyone. Let me know if there are any…'

Most girls were up and out by the time Theresa finished her sentence. Dana moved more slowly, her eyes on Tina and Henela. They were still sitting close, giggling over something Helena had drawn on the paper in front of them. As the room cleared and grew quiet, Tina looked up at Dana, a little guiltily.

"Dane, I know we were going to go exploring this afternoon, but Helena asked me if I wanted to…"

Dana knew what was comig next. "Sure. Yeah. Have fun. I'll see you at dinner or something."

Helena unfolded her long legs from the cafeteria bench and stood.

"Definitely at dinner." Tina followed Helena's actions. "If you get here first save me a seat ok? Or I will if I do."

Dana nodded and smiled, but the smile faded quickly as she watched Helena lead Tina to the side door, and hold it open for her as she went.

The cafeteria was quiet now. Dana was alone. Through the windows she could see that the clouds that had threatened earlier n the day were gone, and the sunny afternoon hours stretched before her. Dana did what she always did at times like these. She went to get her racquet.

"…the shows in Paris this spring, since Sibell's mother works for Paris Vogue…"

Tina tramped along in Helena's wake and listened without comment to her talk about boarding school spring break. The path they were on was wooded, and little used. In places, low branches had grown across the path, impeding their progress. Helena summarily smapped these, making Tina's way easier. The narrow lane was close and warm now that the sun was out, and smelt of green, damp earth.

Tina sais what she had been wondering for a while now. "So…how come you came here?"

"Mummy, whom you saw, back there, wants me to learn more about America. I grant that this could be fun…"

Helena looked over her shoulder at Tina. Tina's blonde hair was curling in the humidity, and her skin glowed with heat that was the beginning of perspiration. Helena smiled and pushed aside a last branch. "But having seen the other cabins, I'm glad I insisted on some more suitable accommodations."

They had come into a clearing. Tina could see now that they weren't really far from the main field. They had just come a long way around through the wooded hill that lay beind the cabins at the far end of he field. Tina could see a more direct path down below.

In the middle of the clearing, there was a small cabin, and Helena was already on the top step, holding open the door.


End file.
